Video encoders are often used to encode baseband video data; thereby reducing the number of bits used to store and transmit the video. In most cases the video data is arranged in coding units representing a portion of the overall baseband video data, for example: a frame; a slice; or a macroblock (MB). A typical video encoder may include a macroblock-based block encoder, outputting a compressed bitstream. This encoder may be based on a number of standard codecs, such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or H.264. A main bitrate and visual quality (VQ) driving factor in such example video encoders is typically the MB level quantization parameter (QP). A number of standard techniques may be used to select the QP for each MB.
In example video encoders, the QP determines a scale for encoding the video data. Generally, smaller QPs lead to larger amounts of data being retained during quantization processes and larger QPs lead to smaller amounts of data being retained during quantization processes.